The Constitution expressed the ideal that people could govern themselves.

George Washington spoke of it saying, "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people."

Today the results of that experiment can be seen world wide.

Today people in many countries participate in  their own country's government thanks to the foresight of the authors of the U.S. Constitution.

Rebellions against existing monarchies or dictatorships often became violent, but the idea of liberty could not be extinguished.

In 1917, there were approximately a dozen democracies in the world. Today, there are more than one hundred, and most of them have written constitutions

From the earliest days of the Republic, this nation's Founders believed that the United States had a special mission in the world.

The Founding Fathers knew that some other countries might even try similar experiments.

The Ideal of the United States Consititution

The creation and implementation of the Untied States Constitution was a great experiment.

The belief that people could and should govern themselves grew slowly at first, then with increasing strength.

The success of their experiment, these early Americans hoped, would hasten the spread of liberty around the globe.

While the charters of many of these nations vary greatly from the U.S. Constitution, its endurance and stability has surely lent encouragement and credibility to the cause of freedom-loving people everywhere.

Countries began to follow the United States' example.

In the first century following the Declaration of Independence, movements in France, Belgium, Poland, Norway, and Switzerland drew both inspiration and practical lessons from the American Revolution and its landmark documents.

The United States Founding Fathers believed they were changing the future of the world's governments. 

What began as a great experiment in self government in 1787 in the small, new nation of the United States has grown to a world-wide reality. 
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Indeed, as other countries began to hear of government based on liberty, people began to speak of and yearn for liberty for themselves and their fellowman.

. . . as well as in Venezuela, Mexico, and Argentina . . .

In 1787  the Founding Fathers began to redesign the government, creating a strong executive branch balanced by a legislature elected by the people and a judicial branch with largely undefined powers.

. . . who have labored to throw off tyrannical regimes and devise for themselves a system of self-determination and government based on the consent of the governed.

. . . on April 30, 1789, moments after taking the oath of office as first President of the United States.

The Founding Fathers were acutely aware that the idea was a revolutionary one, and the successes and failures of the United States would be followed by other nations;

. . . as more and more countries tried their own versions of the experiment.


During the nineteenth century, the adoption of written constitutions often accompanied changes in governments in Europe and Latin America. 

. . . by implementing a government based on liberty and consent of the governed

The first try at a constitution, the Articles of Confederation, failed.